Alternate Naruto Shippuden
by Ketchi
Summary: What if Hinata told Naruto how she feels about him? Starting from the beginning of Naruto Shippuden, this is a romantic adventure of Hinata and Naruto as a few small events greatly change the course of history. Contains very little out of character. Cancelled due to lack of motivation.
1. Arc 1:1, The gate

Focusing mainly on Naruto and Hinata, the story starts at the very beginning of Naruto Shippuden.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of its characters.**

It's been two and a half years since Naruto left for training with Jiraiya. Not much has happened in Hinata's life during that time though. After her participation in the chunin exams, Hinata has been living in her own apartment block at the Hidden Leaf Village, waiting for Naruto, her great crush, to return. Naruto's been called back to the Hidden Leaf Village today, and Hinata wants to be the first to greet him.

"_Naruto, my Naruto! My love! I'll be there soon, just you wait!" _Hinata thought as she raced through the town, ignoring all those feet she stepped on, all those food stands she toppled, and all those baskets she made people drop. Her feet were moving faster than Neji's 128 palm attack! In only a matter of seconds, she saw Naruto standing at the village gates.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted as she saw Naruto, not noticing he was accompanied by Jiraiya. "We all missed you so much!" Just then, when taking a breath to say more, she noticed Jiraiya standing there with a perplexed stare.

"Hehe, well Naruto, it sure seems like you have some fans," Jiraiya remarked. "Shall I leave you for your reunions?"

"Nah, don't sweat it Toad Sage." Naruto responded in his typical cocky attitude. "Hey Hinata, what's up? I barely noticed you there!" To think, Naruto didn't even see her dramatic entrance! Trying hard to not show any emotion, Hinata felt frustrated. Her great welcoming was completely ruined. Not only did Naruto not even notice her running towards him, shouting his name, but Jiraiya was standing by his side. It's as if fate enjoyed destroying the courage that she summed up to do that in the first place. This may very well be the worst day in history!

Hinata had to think fast. "Oh, Naruto... It's great to see you back, we all missed you so much." Hinata replied, trying to keep her cool. "When you feel like it, meet us at the usual spot. We'll be hanging out there all week."

Naruto looked oblivious. "Which usual spot would that be again?" Naruto asked as he scratched his head with a slight chuckle in the typical Naruto way.

Again, Hinata felt frustrated. "Okay, I'll just post a letter under your door today then, it's too difficult to describe." Hinata knew how easy it was for Naruto to get lost, and she also knew how bad he was at remembering things. When first thinking about it, Hinata didn't notice how perfect an opportunity this was. Naruto was actually **expecting** a letter!

"Oh, uhh, sure, I guess," Naruto replied with a carefree attitude. "I'm looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow, it's been a long time."

"_He doesn't know the half of it,"_ Hinata thought as she quietly walked away, starting to plot her next approach.


	2. Arc 1:2, The letter

Previously on Alternate Naruto Shippuden, Hinata's great welcoming to Naruto at the village gates was completely ruined. She told him that she would post him a letter describing where the 'usual spot' is, but is that all she's going to write? Episodes 1 to 6 have now passed.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of its characters.**

"_Yes, that should do it," _Hinata thought when finishing the letter. _"I just hope he'll understand what I mean. I don't know if I can take another bad encounter with him..."_

With that, she sealed her first letter to Naruto, walked over to his apartment block and with great care and courage, posted the letter. _"There, it's done... It's out of my hands now. All I need to do is wait for him to read it tonight."_

It's been a really, really long day for Naruto. He's been welcomed back by half the town, battled Kakashi, barely won, and turned down by Sakura. On that same day, Jiraiya's words have been going through Naruto's mind. _"You don't understand a woman's heart at all."_ Perhaps it was true. He's never managed to make Sakura happy, and Hinata's always acted differently towards him. With those thoughts, he went back to his old apartment block. He was looking forward to some long deserved rest.

Opening the door, the air of his room smelt of nostalgia. Being in there reminded him of good times, back when Sasuke didn't want to kill him and when life was simple. It felt good to be home. Sighing with relief and planting himself on his bed, he glanced down to see Hinata's letter on the ground next to him. Opening the envelope, he found two pages. The first page described the location and times when Hinata's party would be hanging out at the usual spot. The second page seemed somewhat peculiar though.

_Dear Naruto,  
>It's been two and a half years since I last saw you. In that time I've been thinking... Thinking about someone very dear to me. Naruto, have you ever known someone who you feel barely even noticed you existed?<em>

Naruto immediately thought about Sakura. It's been two and a half years since he last saw her. Before then, she barely even knew he existed. But now she blushed when Naruto simply spoke to her. But over that time he's had time to think, and people he's known have changed. He continued to read the letter.

_Naruto... Have you ever had thoughts of a person very special to you? Well... The truth is that... Naruto, someone close to you has certain feelings towards you._

Naruto could hardly believe it. Not only was he missed by half the village, but he had a secret admirer! Hoping his secret admirer was Sakura, he continued to read the letter.

_The person who has those feelings, she wants to meet you alone. If you would accept her, leave your window open in four days at nine o'clock pm._

"_This is it! I may finally have a chance with Sakura!"_ Or at least, that's what Naruto thought. Naruto, with oblivious and impatient energy, couldn't wait. This is finally the moment he had been waiting for. Meanwhile, Hinata was preparing for her visit.


	3. Arc 1:3, The first night

Previously on Alternate Naruto Shippuden, Naruto read Hinata's letter to him. Naruto thought it was Sakura who had feelings for him, but Hinata meant for the letter to be implied differently. Episodes 7 to 32 have passed, and it is now day 5.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of its characters.**

After four long, hard days of battling the Akatsuki, hiking the desert, and attending Elder Chiyo's funeral, Naruto was sure looking forward to his night with Sakura. Little did he know that it was Hinata he was actually preparing for. Hinata, on the other hand, was desperately hoping that Naruto would accept her.

Relaxing at home and waiting for nine o'clock to arrive, Naruto was getting bored and anxious. He then decided to brush his teeth and comb his hair to keep himself occupied until she arrived. This was going to be their first night together, so he didn't want to let her think that he didn't care.

Eventually, nine o'clock came. Desperately energetic and with a large grin on his face, Naruto opened his window as planned. He then sat back down on his bed, and a few seconds later Hinata appeared in his room. Hinata was wearing a beautiful purple dress, and her hair looked recently washed and brushed. She was truly a sight to behold. In awe of both surprise and amazement, Naruto was speechless. Just then, Hinata blushed, rushed up and hugged him. She was so happy that Naruto felt the same way towards her. Realising that this was what Hinata meant in her letter to him, Naruto didn't know what to do.

"_So, this is what she meant," _Naruto thought with a convenient sigh. _"I knew I didn't have a chance with Sakura... I'll try playing it cool for now and see how things go."_ Naruto decided to return the hug. "I didn't know you felt this way, Hinata."

"Oh Naruto... My Naruto..." Hinata whispered with a deep sigh. "I missed you so much when you were gone... I'm so glad you're back. I'm so glad you didn't reject me."

"Well, Hinata..." Naruto replied, trying to keep his attitude in place.

"What is it, Naruto?" Hinata asked in a curious and shy voice, sitting down on the bed next to Naruto.

Just then, before saying anything else, a thought suddenly snapped in Naruto. He could **use **this. If Sakura would reject him, time and time again, then maybe he could make her jealous. After all, Sakura's the jealous **and** competitive type. It was the perfect plan! He figured that it couldn't hurt him much to try anyway, but what about Hinata? How would she feel when he broke up with her? Naruto's normally against toying with emotions, but this was different.

"Naruto?" Hinata noticed that Naruto had been silent and still for an entire minute. She was starting to worry if she'd broken him. Just then, Naruto snapped out of his trance. "Oh, uhh, hehe, sorry about that!" Naruto quickly replied with a grin, getting back to reality.

"Oh Naruto, it's fine. I'm just enjoying the moment." Hinata said with a relaxed smile, slowly pulling Naruto over on the bed. Slowly and very timidly, Hinata kissed Naruto's cheek, let go of him and lied down on her back, giving a shy look and a blush. She was hoping that he would accept her offer. Amazed and anxious, Naruto sat there, considering his options.

Suddenly, a shinobi appeared! Without enough time to react due to being off guard, the shinobi quickly rendered Naruto unconscious and lifted him onto their shoulder. Hinata was starting to believe that fate had a real vendetta against her! The shinobi then used an illusion jutsu to make themself invisible. It was evident that the shinobi was prepared for this, and had been waiting for the right time to strike.

Hinata, using her Byakugan vision to keep watch of the hostile shinobi, began to chase them as an attempt to rescue Naruto. In a small amount of time, they were outside the Hidden Leaf Village. From then on, Hinata tried to stay one kilometre away from the shinobi to not be detected. Now, she was waiting for her opportunity to strike back.

An hour later, the shinobi stopped at a fresh water river to have a short drink and rest. It was apparent that the shinobi was getting exhausted, especially due to keeping the chakra concentrated to perform the invisibility jutsu and carrying Naruto's heavy body all the way. Hinata was also exhausted due to overuse of the Byakugan, but knew that this was the best time to strike. After a short rest and while the shinobi was taking their third mouth of water, Hinata charged in, using her rapid fist technique to make quick work of the hostile shinobi, knocking them out in only a second.

Knowing that there may be more dangers, Hinata waited, trying to stay alert. After thoroughly tying up the shinobi on a tree using some strong vines, she proceeded to place Naruto's body on a soft pile of leaves and sat next to him. Thankfully, Naruto, her new boyfriend, was right there to keep her company through this hard night.

Two hours later, midnight came. The moon was full, and the river was lit up beautifully by the natural light of the cosmic bodies in the sky. The chance of more danger was now low, but not zero. After examining Naruto's body, Hinata noticed that Naruto wasn't just unconscious, but he was also sleeping. With a smile and letting out a deep sigh, Hinata hid Naruto's body under a pile of leaves and lied face down on top of the mass. If something were to happen to him, she would want to know. Closing her eyes and hoping to dream about Naruto, Hinata drifted off to sleep. Perhaps the night didn't turn out so badly after all.


	4. Arc 1:4, A new day

Previously on Alternate Naruto Shippuden, Naruto became aware of how Hinata feels about him. Knowing this, he decided to secretly use Hinata to make Sakura jealous. Naruto was then kidnapped by a mysterious shinobi and rescued by Hinata. Afterwards, they spent the night together. It is now day 6.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of its characters.**

"_Ughh... What a headache..." _Naruto thought, rubbing his head while slowly waking up to the sound of birds singing in the trees. Gradually opening his eyes, he noticed that Hinata was sleeping on him. _"... did I really...?"_ Naruto started pulling Hinata off him.

"Naruto..." Hinata quietly said with a blush and a smile, waking up.

"What... happened last night?" Naruto asked, hoping he didn't do anything that he might regret.

"Well... Before we could do much in your room, a shinobi appeared and knocked you out. He took you over here on his shoulder and, when he was taking a rest, I quickly knocked him out to save you. I tied him to a tree, hid you under these leaves, and then fell asleep two hours later." Hinata explained thoroughly.

Starting to blush wildly with her speech slowing down, Hinata continued. "I thought it might have still been dangerous and I didn't want anything to happen to you, so I slept on you. Just... so that I'd wake up if something happened to you. I hope you don't mind."

"Wow... Thank you so much, Hinata." Naruto was truly grateful. If Hinata hadn't been there to save him, he wouldn't have been rescued in time, and who knows what would have happened?

"So, uhh, Naruto... There's something I've been meaning to tell you." Hinata started blushing like crazy, her heart beat increasing, and her voice becoming quiet.

"What is it?" Naruto, as always, was oblivious.

"Naruto... I, I-" Hinata started saying, blushing and speaking quieter with each word.

"Come on love birds! If you're gonna tie me up like this and make me wait all day, at least don't make me sit through that sappy stuff!" The tied up shinobi bursted out, interrupting Hinata's sentence and ruining the scene.

"Ah!" Shocked by his outburst and suddenly remembering the shinobi, Hinata quickly rose to look where she tied him up. Thankfully, he was still completely restrained.

"So there you are, you little twerp. Let me outta here!" The shinobi ordered in a demanding voice.

Just then, Naruto got up. "Now why would we do that?" Naruto responded in a booming voice. "Did you forget what you did last night?"

"Nah, I just thought I'd give it a try. So, what are you going to do with me?" The shinobi responded in a carefree tone.

"Well, first off you're going to answer some of our questions... We'll decide where to go from there. I'll be using my Byakugan, so I'll know if you're lying." Hinata answered, taking control of the situation and activating her kekkei genkai.

"Yeah! To start off, who do you think you are, just taking somebody like that?" Naruto quickly asked in a loud voice.

After a moment of thinking, the shinobi responded. "I recently heard that somebody was paying a very large sum of Yen to anybody who would take you to them, Naruto. I live very far away from here, and over there, the people are poor and driven by hunger. We often either die in the cold or starve, so we don't care much about what kind of work we get. Even if given an offer by the shadiest of people, we'd accept. Naruto, if only you didn't escape... That money could have saved my entire village." The shinobi started to cry.

"He's lying," Hinata informed, frustrated. "Or at least, some of what he said is a lie."

"Okay, guilty as charged." The shinobi smirked, giving a little chuckle. "I thought I got the hang of lying, apparently I was wrong."

"Quit stalling you freak!" Naruto shouted in an outrage.

"Ooh, I'm so scared... What are you going to do, torture me?" The shinobi replied satirically, making fun of them both.

"We've done all we can, let's just take him to the interrogation squad," Hinata suggested.

"Alright!" Naruto shouted with a grin, hastily knocking out the shinobi.

Quickly untying the shinobi, Naruto popped him up on his back and started dashing to where he thought was home.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted, amused. "Konoha's in the other direction!"

"Hehe, right!" Naruto responded, changing his direction.

"_Oh Naruto... Whatever will I do with you?"_ Hinata thought happily, leading the way.

Twenty minutes later, Naruto started getting bored. "Uhh. Hinata... What were you going to say to me, before this guy interrupted?" Naruto asked, obliviously.

Hinata blushed. "Oh, uhh... I-I'll tell you later." She wanted to wait for a good time to tell him, and this definitely wasn't it.

"Eh, whatever works with you, I guess," Naruto replied, keeping a straight face.

Ten minutes later, Hinata finally summed up the courage. "Naruto..." Hinata started saying, blushing.

"Oh, what is it Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Well... We haven't been out yet, and... Uhh, Naruto... I, I was wondering..." Taking a deep breath and restricting herself to not breathe out until she said another word, Hinata continued. "Naruto... Will you go out with me, tomorrow tonight? I know this great restaurant, all you can eat," Hinata finally asked, her heart racing and face blushing like crazy.

Naruto started to think. _"Well, she did rescue me from that psycho shinobi... and I do have more than one reason to accept... I guess it's the least I can do." _"Sure! I'll be looking my best!" Naruto answered with a grin.

"It's a date!" Hinata happily said, her heart still racing. A tear of joy slowly came from her eye as she smiled. Hinata could hardly believe it. Her first date with Naruto! Trying not to faint, she continued leaping through the trees, leading the way. For the rest of the day, all she could think about was Naruto, her dear love.


	5. Arc 1:5, First dates

Previously on Alternate Naruto Shippuden, Hinata asked Naruto out on a date, and he accepted. Following that, they both safely made it back to Konoha and handed over the psychotic shinobi to the interrogation squad. Episode 33 has passed, and it is now day 7.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of its characters.**

This was their first big night together; their first date and a time to remember. After an entire day of shopping, Hinata had finally found the kind of dress that she'd been looking for. It was semi provocative, light purple, and fit her perfectly. This time, she had her hair tied back to see how Naruto would react. Hinata, still, could hardly believe how lucky she was to not be rejected by Naruto. Arriving a bit early, she started waiting for Naruto.

A moment later, Hinata saw Naruto in the corner of her eye. Looking over to her love, she couldn't resist being impressed. Naruto was wearing an orange and black tuxedo, the type which a person would only use for special occasions. His hair was neatly combed, his face washed, and he had a gentle smile. Starting to approach Hinata, she started to smile.

"Naruto... You look so handsome..." Hinata said, blushing and almost fainting at the sight of her date.

Smiling and subtly blushing, Naruto responded. "Gee, thanks Hinata." _"Wow... She looks so beautiful... I thought only Sakura could look that good." _Naruto thought, scratching the back of his head and grinning. He'd always been a sucker for a pretty face.

For ten seconds, they both just stood there staring at each other, smiling.

"Uhh... We should probably get this date thing going." Naruto blurted out, ending the moment's silence.

"Right." Hinata responded with a big smile.

Naruto and Hinata enter the restaurant and take their seats, occasionally glancing over at each other and smiling.

"So... How do we get food over here?" Naruto asked directly, looking around.

"_Oh Naruto... Eyes on the plate, as usual..." _Hinata thought, gazing deep into his eyes and smiling. "You can just walk up to the food bar and take it," Hinata answered.

Naruto left his seat and walked over to the food bar with Hinata watching him. After scanning the menu, he took a large bowl, filled it with ramen and walked back to the table.

"Heh, this place is great!" Naruto remarked happily, stuffing his face with ramen.

"So, what have you been doing in your life, Hinata?" Naruto asked with his mouth half full.

Blushing momentarily and smiling at her delight, Hinata replied. "I've mainly been practicing my ninjutsu and working for Konoha's fast ramen shop."

Hearing the word ramen, Naruto's attention was immediately captured. "So you've been working for my old boss Ichiraku?"

Still smiling, Hinata answered. "Why, yes... We talk about you all the time."

"_She does, does she?" _Naruto thought with a chuckle, smiling and stuffing his face with more ramen.

"_Oh Naruto... How could I ever tell you?" _Hinata sighed deeply, still gazing into Naruto's eyes and smiling. _"Could you really love me too?"_

Just then, Naruto finished his first bowl of ramen. "Oh, Hinata... you should eat too, you know. It's not healthy to miss your dinner."

"_You really care about me..." _Hinata thought, slowly getting back to reality. "Yes, right. Thank you, Naruto." Hinata replied, getting up.

Naruto also stood up, taking the empty bowl to the ramen servings. When taking a bowl of pork chop ramen, he noticed that Hinata was just having a bowl of salad.

"You know, we are in an all you can eat restaurant." Naruto remarked, stuffing his face with some ramen. "You don't need to watch what you eat."

Hinata blushed and gave a delightful smile. "Right... of course." She replied, adding some fried rice.

Grinning at the situation, Naruto continued stuffing his face with ramen and sat back down at the table. Enjoying every moment, Hinata still could hardly believe that she was on a date with Naruto, her long awaited love.

"Hinata, there's something that I'd like to ask you." Naruto began before Hinata sat down.

"What is it, Naruto?" Hinata asked, starting to blush.

"Well, I was wondering... I know it may seem sudden and all..." Naruto continued, grinning.

Hinata began blushing wildly out of control. _"A-a question... S-sudden?"_ Hinata thought, starting to lose her breath.

"Will you... uhh..." Naruto continued, starting to smile and scratch the back of his head.

"_W-will I? N-Naruto?" _Hinata thought, trying desperately hard not to faint.

"Will you come with me on my next mission?" Naruto finally asked, getting back to normal.

"_Right. Yes... it had to be that. He wouldn't ask so soon." _Hinata sighed, a bit disappointed with her breath returning to normal. "I would be delighted to!" Hinata exclaimed happily, trying to keep her cool.

"Thank you, Hinata," Naruto responded joyfully, proceeding to embrace her. He knew that the best way to make Sakura jealous was to have Hinata there with him during their mission. That was the next phase of his plan.

"The mission begins in four days. Try to come prepared, alright? It might be dangerous, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Naruto ended, slowly letting go of Hinata. _"I really don't know what I'd do..." _He thought evilly, knowing how true it was.

**-x-**

One hour of great conversation, ten large bowls of ramen and three salads later, the couple unanimously decides to leave the building and go back home.

"I've had a great time." Hinata happily remarked, laughing and smiling with Naruto as they got up.

"Yeah, it's been really great!" Naruto responded joyfully. "That's the best I've eaten in years!"

"Oh Naruto... you're so cute when you eat," Hinata replied cheerfully, smiling at Naruto.

"Yeah, this really has been great..." Naruto repeated, continuing to smile. _"Man... I hate what I'm going to do to her. I wish I never thought of that crazy idea..." _He then thought sorrowfully, having second thoughts about his plan. Soon after, they started leaving the building.

"So, uhh, Hinata... What would you do if I broke up with you?" Naruto asked when they were outside.

"Oh. Oh no... Naruto, you're not..." Hinata said as she stopped walking, getting tears in her eyes. Noticing this, Naruto quickly tried to comfort her.

"Wait, Hinata. I'm not breaking up with you!" Naruto claimed, quickly embracing her hard to cheer her up. "I'm sorry I asked," he continued saying with a sigh.

"No... it's fine. I just don't know what I'd do. I really don't know..." Hinata answered, continuing to walk again. She continued thinking about it. _"I would die... I would be a shell without emotion. No love but yours could ever suffice."_

A few minutes passed. "Naruto... There's something I'd like to show you," Hinata timidly proposed, blushing.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, curious.

"Meet me at the western waterfall just before midnight in two days, okay?" Hinata continued. _"That should give me enough time to prepare."_

"So... Which waterfall? There's so many in that direction." Naruto replied, unemotional.

"I'll give you a letter again." Hinata answered, smiling and remembering how well that went last time.

"Okay. I'll be looking forward to this." Naruto said with a small chuckle, giving a happy smile. He was, in fact, and surprised at his own feelings, looking forward to meeting her there.

Soon after, they arrived outside Hinata's apartment room.

"Wow, this is just down the hall from my room!" Naruto exclaimed, surprised.

Hinata knew this and it's the main reason why she lived there. However, she knew how he may react, so she decided to play dumb. "Wow, that's so convenient." She replied, happy that he realised it. "I guess that means we won't have to go very far to be with each other."

"Yeah, it's great!" Naruto responded with a smile and a chuckle, not realising what he'd done.

"Oh, Naruto... two things before I go inside." Hinata began.

"Hmm, what is it this time?" Naruto replied, interested.

"First thing... Do you like my hair tied back?" Hinata asked.

Blushing with a grin and scratching the back of his head, Naruto responded. "To be honest, I think you look perfect."

After that compliment, Hinata couldn't resist feeling loved.

"Okay... and now the second thing." Hinata timidly said with a blush, leaning towards Naruto and closing her eyes. Naruto, knowing where this was going, leaned forward and kissed Hinata's lips.

"Goodnight, Naruto." Hinata quietly said, starting to go limb. Noticing this, Naruto quickly embraced her to keep her up. Shortly after, she fainted. Smiling endearingly at his date, Naruto gently carried Hinata to her bed. _"Goodnight, Hinata."_


	6. Arc 1:6, Waterfall night

Previously on Alternate Naruto Shippuden, Hinata and Naruto had their first date. After a joyful, successful night, Hinata invited Naruto to join her at a waterfall in two nights. Interested, Naruto accepted. It is now day 9.

Note that I might start using references to past episodes, represented by '_***1**_', '_***2**_', '_***3**_', or etc. You may read the foot note at the bottom of the chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of its characters.**

After a short twenty minutes of travel, Naruto almost reached the waterfall. _"The letter didn't say much about what she was going to show me..." _Naruto thought, anxious about his surprise. _"I wonder what it is... I'm sure it's going to be something good."_

Shortly afterwards, Naruto could see the waterfall. In a large circle surrounding the base of the waterfall the land was barren of trees, yet luscious growth seemed to be humming everywhere, harmonizing into a beautiful chorus of living earth. The pool of water was large and trailed towards the east. Steadying down his flight, Naruto found Hinata meditating on a stone platform in the middle of the pool. Her hair was tied back and she was in her underwear. Under the full moon, the open sky and the wildlife, great beauty could be seen everywhere, highlighting the greatest beauty of all; Hinata. Naruto became paralysed with awe, standing there and gazing upon the great scenery.

Noticing Naruto's presence, Hinata began slowly opening her eyes. Smiling at her love, she started channelling chakra into her surroundings as she lit up like a star. Soon, the air started breezing towards her and the trees quietly began to whistle. Hinata slowly rose high in the air, her shining blue hair flowing as if to be without gravity. Naruto stood there, amazed.

"_I practiced this... I can do it." _Hinata reassured herself, closing her eyes. Focusing on her muse and what she was doing, Hinata took a deep breath and gradually let it out. Several thin ribbons of faintly visible chakra began flowing out of her, melding with the waterfall. The ribbons then started circling around her, forming a hollow sphere.

"_That chakra... that body... they look familiar." _Naruto thought, starting to have a flashback _***1**_. _(Naruto sat there, watching a completely unclothed, beautiful woman practice chakra flow in a similar way to this. In the dim light, he could not properly recognise the figure. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, until now.) "Could Hinata really be her?" _Still in awe, Naruto continued to watch.

More ribbons of chakra left Hinata's body, this time entering the ground. Slowly, the earth under Naruto's feet rose, gently carrying him to meet Hinata. The hollow sphere of water grew, encapsulating Naruto and forming a sound proof barrier around them both, muting the waterfall and whistle of the wind.

"Naruto..." Hinata started, drifting towards Naruto and opening her eyes. "It's time I told you."

Naruto stood there, frozen in awe by beauty and amazement, speechless.

"Naruto Uzumaki..." Hinata smiled, her heart racing faster than ever before. "I love you."

Naruto gradually began to smile. "You are so beautiful..."

Shedding tears of joy, Hinata kissed Naruto and melted in his arms. Steadily, she directed the water towards the pool, starting to relax. Afterwards, they walked down the path that she crafted and lied down together under the stars, drifting off to sleep in each other's arms with Naruto's body keeping her warm.

_The next day, Hinata awoke first. Wanting to not disturb Naruto's rest, she waited for him to wake up, enjoying every second of being in his arms. Half an hour later, Naruto woke up._

"Good morning, my love." Hinata said with a deep sigh. "How'd you sleep?"

Slowly opening his eyes, Naruto found Hinata staring at him dreamily. "Good, thank you."

"No, Naruto... thank you." Hinata replied, giving an even bigger smile. Naruto blushed, returning the smile with a grin.

After six minutes of romantically lying down together, Naruto started becoming bored. "Sorry to break this up, Hinata... But we should start getting prepared for our mission tomorrow."

"Right." Hinata replied, gradually exiting her bliss. Naruto first let go of Hinata, and then stood up when Hinata released him.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot!" Hinata said, wildly blushing and remembering that she was only wearing underwear. Hinata dashed over to where she hid her clothes, proceeding to put them on as Naruto stared at her. She then took his hand and started leading their way to Konoha. When they reached the village, they split up to prepare for the mission.

_***1: **_**This flashback is of a scene in Naruto episode 148 of the official '**_**Search for the Bikochu' **_**Arc.**


	7. Arc 2:1, New beginnings

As it turns out, I made fatal, and I mean FATAL errors in the creation of the chapter when I first published it, mainly in regards to realism. Due to this, I have republished it to make it seem 'better'. I am sorry for the 'bad' that I may have done by doing so. (This message will be deleted within 3 days)

I am incredibly sorry for taking so long to update. I was having difficulties with inspiration and etc. But, after a long moment of thought, I decided to pick up my pen again. I also recently started my holidays, so I might be writing more now. (This message will be deleted within 2 days)

Previously on Alternate Naruto Shippuden, Naruto and Hinata met at the waterfall as planned. After Hinata's display, she confessed her love to Naruto and they slept the night together. In the morning, they left to prepare for their mission. It is now day 11, near the end of episode 34.

Note that in this chapter I will be reciting parts of a scene shown in the anime. I will very rarely be doing this throughout my fanfic. I apologize if this bores you or does otherwise, but I could not seem to think of a better way to continue the scene without breaking the story flow. I am not trying to take credit for those scenes. Please do not flame me for this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of its characters.

Today was finally the day; the day of the mission. Naruto's plan of making Sakura jealous could now be initiated. Hinata's preparations for the mission were almost complete. Today is the day when everything would begin to change.

"So, are you prepared for this?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, ready." Hinata replied, smiling. "Thank you for inviting me to join you."

"Well, I couldn't leave you behind." Naruto said, grinning with a chuckle. "What kind of boyfriend would that make me?"

Blushing at hearing Naruto say boyfriend for the first time, Hinata responded. "Right."

A few seconds of silence filled the air.

"Oh yeah, we'll be meeting Sakura there. She's an old friend of mine, so I'd like it if you two got along well." Naruto added. "You might be spending a lot of time together."

"Okay. I'll try to be nice." Hinata responded cheerfully, giving a smile.

"So, let's go meet our team now?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Yes, of course." Hinata answered.

_After seven minutes of walking together hand in hand, they met up with Sakura._

"Hey, Sakura. There's someone I'd like to introduce to you." Naruto said, smiling and softly nudging Hinata. "She's my new girlfriend."

"WHAT? **YOU** have a girlfriend?" Sakura shouted, trying to hide her surprise and failing. After noticing what she'd just done, she started blushing and scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"What? It's not too hard to believe, is it?" Naruto asked.

"No, no. It's just that... oh, never mind." Sakura answered faintly, being careful to not show any more emotion. Sakura then looked at Hinata. "So, is this her?"

Slowly, Hinata stepped forward. "Yes... I am Naruto's girlfriend."

"Wow. Congratulations, Hinata. You got yourself a good man." Sakura suggested emotively.

"_She thinks so, does she?"_Naruto thought, failing to hide his grin.

Sakura continued speaking. "He may sometimes be crude and insensitive, but he'll never stop fighting for you."

"_Ugh... yeah, figures she'd say that."_Naruto thought drearily. _"Well, at least I know what I need to work on."_

Just then, Sai walked around the corner with a smile, proceeding to speak. "Hello."

_In this alternate story, Naruto battled Sai with Hinata's assistance, instead of Shikamaru's and Choji's assistance. This is because Naruto met Hinata instead of Shikamaru._

"You..." Naruto said, accusatively pointing his finger. "You were the one on the roof earlier!"

A second later, Yamato walked around the corner. "I'll be acting as Kakashi's replacement for this team." After seeing Hinata, he continued to speak. "Now, who's this young lady?"

Hinata blushed. "I'm Hinata, Naruto's girlfriend."

Three seconds of silence and thought passed as Naruto stared at Sai, starting to lose his attitude. Picking up on this, Sakura spoke up. "Naruto, you know him?"

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted, directing a pose towards Sai. "He attacked me when I was with Hinata a little while ago!" Quickly, he took out a kunai and entered a defensive battle stance. Hinata also entered a battle stance, activating her Byakugan.

Yamato couldn't risk any casualties so soon. "Naruto, Hinata, please stop." Slowly and steadily, Naruto lowered his battle stance, but didn't drop it.

"Hey, come to think of it, who are you?" Naruto asked Yamato, curious and suspicious.

Sakura continued Naruto's phrase. "Could you be...?"

"I am acting as the team's interim captain while Kakashi is in the hospital. Please call me Yamato," he answered directly. Yamato then directed his attention to Naruto and Sai. "Since you guys are on the same team, it'll cause a lot of problems if you don't get along."

Naruto could hardly believe his ears. "Same team... as him?"

"I wanted to know how strong you were, since we're on the same team," Sai deadpanned.

Naruto slowly dropped his battle stance. "You didn't need to go that far..." Seeing this, Hinata also dropped her battle stance.

Sai continued speaking. "Yes, well now I know your ugly girlfriend is more of a man than you."

Hinata and Naruto were insulted. Immediately, they both glanced at each other and nodded, proceeding to quickly charge towards him. Sakura managed to restrain Naruto, but Hinata activated her kekkei genkai and jabbed a few of Sai's weak points, rendering him limp.

"Your girlfriend throws a bigger punch than you, weakling." Sai remarked, struggling to move.

"_What is with this guy..?"_Sakura thought, sighing. _"Even when knocked down he doesn't back off."_

"Well you'd better get used to it!" Naruto grinned proudly. "She's coming with us on our mission, so don't try anything!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Sai replied, gradually regaining limb control.

Then, starting to rub his head, Yamato began to speak to the entire team. "Anyway, the five of us will start our mission soon... And, well, we're not going to have many chances to get to know each other. So, introduce yourselves!"

Naruto spoke first, still glancing over at Sai. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura was the second to speak up. "Sakura Haruno."

Then, Hinata spoke up. "Hinata Hyuga."

Finally, Sai managed to stand. "My name is Sai."

"Okay, that's enough introduction for now." Yamato said, getting back to business. "Now, I'll explain our mission. Our objective is to head towards the Heaven and Earth Bridge, in order to capture the Akatsuki spy working under Orochimaru. This is also a rare chance for us to obtain information on Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha." Hearing Sasuke's name, Naruto gasped.

Yamato continued to speak. "We'll have a valuable source of information for planning Orochimaru's assassination and Sasuke's retrieval if we can capture this spy. Be sure to proceed with caution."

Understanding the mission, the four members nodded their heads in agreement. Yamato then finalized the briefing. "Assemble at the main gate in an hour. We'll depart once you've equipped yourselves."

_With that, Naruto walked off with Hinata and Sakura, and Yamato and Sai split off into different directions._

After a minute of walking, Sakura started a conversation. "So, Naruto, Hinata... How long have you two been going out?"

Naruto and Hinata blushed. Grinning, Naruto answered. "Well, let's see..." Naruto started quietly counting with his fingers. "She asked me out on Friday last week, so... one... two... three... four... five days!"

"Oh, so not that long." Sakura replied thoughtfully. _"And she asked him out... hmm."_

"Yeah, but we've had lots of fun together since then." Hinata added, smiling and hugging Naruto for a second.

Blushing awkwardly, Sakura responded. "Oh. Uhh... really, so soon?"

"No! Nothing like that!" Naruto quickly answered, flailing his arms.

"Oh really? Oh, okay then, if you say so." Sakura replied with a wink and a cheeky smile.

"_Ugh... does she really think so?"_Naruto thought drearily.

Half a minute of silence passed until Naruto picked up the conversation. "Man, can you really believe we have another chance to find Sasuke?"

Hearing Sasuke's name again, Sakura sighed. "It's crazy when you think about how long it's been since we last saw him."

"Didn't we give up searching for him after the bikochu beetle?" Hinata asked.

"Well, we didn't really give up searching for him. We just... lost our last chance." Naruto answered.

"That's not quite true," Sakura added informatively. "I've been training with Lady Tsunade for the past two and a half years, and she's spoken about chances to get Sasuke again at least a few times."

Naruto stopped walking. "Things are going to turn out different this time! I can feel it!"

"I certainly hope so," Sakura said with another sigh. "I miss him so much."

"Agreed." Hinata added, ending the conversation.

_A few minutes later, Sakura split up from the couple to go to her house and prepare for the mission. Naruto and Hinata then walked back to their apartment rooms._

Before entering her room, Hinata smiled at Naruto. "Naruto, my love... There's something I want to give you." Hinata kissed and hugged him for a few seconds. "I'll give you the rest when we return, okay?"

"I understand." Naruto said, smiling endearingly.

Six seconds of pleasant silence passed until Naruto continued to speak. "Well, we should finish our preparations for the mission now."

"Yes... right." Hinata agreed, opening the door to her room. "I'll see you at the main gate in forty-five minutes."

With that, they split up and began their final preparations for the mission.


End file.
